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- The body of a missing man has been recovered at Knysna Lagoon.
- The man went missing after his canoe capsized on Wednesday.
- A friend, who tried to save him, was rescued and transported to hospital.
The body of a canoeist who went missing in Knysna has been recovered.
The man's body was found on Thursday after a lengthy search operation at Knysna Lagoon.
The local man, in his early 20s, was reported missing after his canoe capsized on Wednesday.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Knysna station commander Jerome Simonis said: "During the ongoing air, shoreline, underwater and surface water search and recovery efforts, on Thursday, the body of the missing man was located and recovered from the water by police divers."
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The body of the man was taken to of the Western Cape government's Health Forensic Pathology Services.
The NSRI had rescued the man's friend the day before, after he had attempted to save the canoeist when he capsized.
On Wednesday afternoon, during the peak of spring high tide, the NSRI Knysna duty crew were activated following eyewitness reports of a small canoe capsized at Ashmead Channel on Knysna Lagoon, between Kathy's Park and Costa Sarda, about 200 to 300 metres off-shore.
When they arrived, they discovered that a man – understood to be a friend of the canoeist – had attempted an unsuccessful rescue him.
Simonis said:
The man was then taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.
"He had gallantly attempted to rescue his friend on the canoe that capsized. He is recovering in hospital in the care of doctors and nurses," said Simonis.
"He has been commended for his swift reaction and efforts in trying to rescue his friend."
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Police had initially found the capsized canoe, but there was no immediate sign of the canoeist.
This week, the NSRI cautioned bathers, coastal hikers, shoreline anglers, boaters, sailors, paddlers and the maritime community to be cautious around the coastline during an unusual full blue supermoon, which was expected to result in a stronger spring tide than usual.
Spring tide was at its peak on Wednesday and Thursday and will now gradually begin to wane.
